Taro Cake with Eight Beans 八寶芋頭糕

It's almost the time of the year during which Chinese families' kitchens are filled with the fragrances from all different kinds of New Year food. My kitchen now is filled with the pleasant aroma of Chinese five spice powder. This taro cake with eight beans and peas is a healthy vegetarian dish. (chick peas, red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, red beans, mung beans, etc)

This recipe is a bit different from my previous Spiced Taro Cake by the way the taro is prepared and cooked.

一到農曆新年期間，各家各戶都忙於做不同的應節食物，家中都充滿著各種香味，我的廚房現在便滿是五香粉的味道。這味八寶芋頭糕是全素，除了芋頭外，另有八種不同的豆類：紅豆、綠豆、眉豆、雞心豆、黑豆及紅腰豆等，非常有益健康。這食譜與之前的五香芋頭糕 有別，一半芋頭蒸完壓成蓉，另一半煎香才加入其他材料蒸，提供口感，別有風味。

Ingredients 材料:
2-3 pounds/700g taro 芋頭
340g mixed beans 八寶豆
300g rice flour 粘米粉
150g cornstarch 粟米粉
1300g/5.5 cups water 水

Seasonings 調味:
3 tsp salt 鹽
2 tsp chicken essence (optional--omit if you are a vegetarian) 雞粉
1 tsp white pepper powder 白胡椒粉
2 tbsp sugar 糖
2 tsp five spice powder 五香粉
2 tbsp sesame oil 麻油

1)  Soak the mixed beans overnight or at least for 4 hours. Use a pot filled with enough water to cover the beans. Boil until the beans are soft. (It can take any where from 15 minutes to half an hour, depending on how long they have been soaked.) Drain and set aside.
2)  Peel taro and divide into two portions: one cut into big chunks and the other into smaller cubes.

2)  Steam the chunks in a steamer for 15 minutes until soft. Smash with a fork and set aside. Meanwhile, put about a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan and fry the smaller cubes until they are golden brown.

3)  In a large bowl, mix all the seasonings and flours and add water. Mix the batter well.

4)  Add the beans, taro paste, and cubes. Mix well. Put the batter into a deep dish for steaming.
5)  Depending on the size of the dish, steam until a chopstick stuck into the cake comes out clean. 30 minutes to an hour.
6)  Cut into thick pieces after cooling and slightly fry in a pan before serving.

Notes:
1)  The recipe can be reduced or increased proportionally according to your needs.
2)  Half of the taro is fried (or deep fried) so that they remain intact to provide texture.
3)  Any combination of beans can be used. It is imperative to soak the beans thoroughly at least for a few hours to reduce cooking time.

1)  用水將豆浸至少四小時，最好浸過夜。然後煲至軟身，盛起。
2)  芋頭去皮後分兩份，一份用大火蒸十五分鐘至軟身，用叉壓成蓉；另一份切粒，煎至四面金黃，備用。
3)  在一大碗內放入所有調味料及粉，加水開成漿。
4)  加入豆，芋頭蓉及粒，攪勻後放入蒸盆，用大火蒸。
5)  視乎蒸盆大小，如插入筷子後取出沒有粉漿，便成，約三十分鐘至一小時。


注意事項：
1)  食譜份量可隨意按比例增減。
2)  煎至金黃色的芋頭蒸後不會容易爛，有口感。或炸也可。
3)  任何種類的豆都可以替換，最重要是煲之前要浸透。